Anais do VI Congresso Brasileiro de Carvão Mineral

Microwave energy has high applicability in a wide range of processes due to its specific characteristics, among which the volumetric heating effect caused by radiation stands out. Counting on studies that demonstrate the efficiency of this type of heating in phenomena related to the metallurgy field, such as carbothermic reduction of iron oxides, contributions that investigate the effects of this type of energy on the gas conversion reactions of carbon sources destined to ironmaking such as coal and coke are of great value. In this context, the present work aimed to evaluate the volatilization and gasification kinetics of coke fines samples under microwave heating. For this, the samples were treated at different residence times and microwave power in order to assess the effects of these variables on their weight loss mechanisms. Furthermore, through adjustments obtained by linear regression fits, the observed kinetics were compared with models controlled by chemical and diffusional steps, aiming to determine the controlling phenomenon of the reaction kinetics. The results obtained showed that higher microwave powers provide greater mass losses, an effect produced by the intensification of the rapid heating caused by the microwaves. The kinetic analyzes pointed out the chemical control mechanism as the controlling step of the reaction, indicating that the contact surface between the particles is the determining factor in the phenomena involved in the mass loss of the samples.